Suction cleaner



July 7, 1936.

H. E. HoQvER.

SUCTION CLEANER Filed June 22, 1934 3 Sheets-.Sheet l v l N VE N TO R H0 Ward Earl 2700 Ver ATTO RN EY July 7, 1936. H. E. HOOVER 2,045,684

' sucTIoN CLEANER Filed June 22, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 VHJ) INVENTCR jowardlar/ [Yoo ver F197 l BY @5MM ATTORNEY July 7, 1936. H E HOOVER 2,046,684

SUCTION CLEANER Filed June 22, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INYENTOR 27am/ard Ear! 2700 Ver ATTORNEY Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES SUCTION CLEANER Howard Earl Hoover,

The Hoover Company,

corporation of Ohio Glencoe, Ill., assignor to North Canton, Ohio, a

Application June 22, 1934, Serial No. 731,809

1o mams.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general, and particularly to new and novel means for converting a suction cleaner from a oor cleaning unit to an oi-the-floor cleaning 5 unit. More specifically the invention comprises a. suction cleaner incorporating permanent valve means for converting the cleaner from an on-theiioor unit to an ofE-the-floor unit, the valve means being operated by the cleaner handle.

The modern suction cleaner is primarily designed to clean surface coverings. In order to increase its range of usefulness however, the cleaner is so constructed that it may be combined with dusting tools for the purpose of cleaning drapes etc., which are positioned above the supporting surface. Heretofore the efficient floor cleaning suction cleaner has required a relatively complicated manual mechanical change toaccomplish the conversion. In the suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention the alteration is a simple operation requiring no attachment or detachment of parts to the cleaner, the cleaner being capable of instantaneous conversion by simply moving the handle to a definite position. l

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a suction cleaner in which dusting tools are perma-f nently incorporated. It ls another object of the invention to provide a suction cleaner in which a single valve accomplishes the conversion oi the machine from an on-the-oor cleaner to an ol'fthe-floor cleaner. A further object is the provision of a suction cleaner in which a single valve,

which is controlled by the cleaner handle, accomplishes the conversion of the unit from an ori-thefloor cleaner to an off-the-floor cleaner. These and other more specific objects will appear upon 40 reading the following specification kand claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate:

In the drawings in which a preferred embodimentof the present invention is disclosed:

Figure l is a partial front elevation of a suction cleaner body constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section through the cleaner upon the line 2.-,-2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged section showing the pivotal-connection of the valve shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front view of the suction cleaner incorporating the present invention and shows the dusting tool hose carried by the cleaner handle;

- Figure 5 is a side elevation of the suction cleaner, certain parts being in section to show the valve actuating mechanism;

Figure 6 is a view upon the line Ii--B of Figure 5;

Figure'? is a partial side view of the suction cleaner with part of the casing' broken away and 5 liiwing the cleaner in its on-the-f'loor relation- Figure 8 is a side elevation with certain parts of the cleaner broken away andshows the cleaner in its off-the-floor cleaning relationship;

Figure 9 is a partial side elevation showing the opposite side of the cleaner and the handle position controlling means;

Figure 10 is a section upon the line Ill-I0 of Figure 9. 15

In the-suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention cleaning air is drawn through a. nozzle I by a rotating fan 2 positioned within a fan chamber 3 into which the nozzle I opens at the fan chamber eye 4. The 20 fan is driven by an electric -motor which is unshown but which is positioned within the motor casing 5 abutting the fan chamber. The end of the motor shaft 6 extends within the fan chamber 3 and carries the fan 2. An exhaust outlet 1 is 25 formed on fan chamber 3 to which a dust bag 8 is removably secured. spaced front wheels 9, 9, and spaced rear wheels I0, III, movably support the cleaner, the front wheels being carried upon a crankshaft II.

A handle I2 is pivotally connected to the cleaner casing and provides means by which the operator can propel the machine over a surface covering undergoing cleaning. The end of the handle also serves to support the upper end of the dust bag 8, 35 y as in the usual cleaner construction. The incoming power leads I3, I3 enter the upper end of the handle and pass downwardly therethrough to enter the motor casing 5.

According to the present invention nozzle casing 40 I is formed with a transversely extending air passageway I4 which opens to the interior of the nozzle immediately below the eye 4 of the fan chamber, as indicated at I5. Opening I5 is normally closed as illustrated in Figure 2 by a valve 45 I6 which is pivotally carried by the nozzle upon a transversely extending shaft I1, a coil spring I8 outside the casing being provided which acts through a lever arm I9, mounted on the extended end of the shaft, to urge normally the'valve into 50 passageway closing relationship Valve I6 is Aadapted to assume a second position, that shown in Figure 8, in which it opens the passageway I4 to the eye 4 of the fan chamber while closing the nozzle mouth therefrom. 55

The air pasageway I4 extends to the side of the fan chamber where it is provided with a rotatable L-shaped connector 20. To connector 20 is secured an elongated flexible dusting tool hose 2| which is provided at its opposite end with a nozzle 22. Hose 2| is adapted to be carried by the cleaner handle I2 in the operation of the machine in onthe-oor cleaning, the handle I2 being provided near its lower end with a transverse arm 23 having U-shaped spring clips 24, 24 which are adapted to be expanded to seat removably the hose. The hose is adapted to extend upwardly to a point near the upper end of the handle, as shown in Figure 4, there being a supporting hook 25 at that point which supports the mid-portion of the hose. The dusting tool hose being permanently attached to the cleaner is ready for instant use upon being detached from the retaining clips. Obviously suction is available to the hose, and to the nozzle 22 at the end thereof, when valve I6 is in nozzle closing relationship so that the passageway I4 is drectly open to the eye 4 of the fan chamber.

The cleaner handle I2 is forked at its lower end to form a bail which extends around the motor casing 5 to be pivoted upon pins 26, 26. The handle is adapted to be moved from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and to control the position of the handle and prevent its displacement unintentionally from certain definite positions or a range of movement handle position controlling means are provided. These means comprise an arcuate sector 21 positioned adjacent the lower end of handle I2 and xedly carried by the cleaner casing. The outer edges of sector 21 is provided with spaced detent seats 28 and 29- and an intermediate seat 30 of relatively great extent. On the handle I2 immediately adjacent the sector is provided a spring pressed roller detent 3! which is adapted to seat selectively in the seats 28, 29 and 30 when the handle is in a horizontal position, in a vertical position, or in an intermediate range of positions, respectively. With the roller detent positioned in any of the seats displacement therefrom is prevented except upon the exertion through the handle of a predetermined pivoting force. v

Upon the opposite side of the cleaner casing from the handle controlling means is a plunger 32 which is slidingly mounted in the casing and which is normally pressed by a coil spring 33, acting on a collar 34 on the plunger, to a position in which the end of the plunger extends into the pathway of the pivoted handle I2 as it moves into the vertical position. The forward end of plunger 32 is bifurcated and encloses slidingly an extension of the lever I9 carried by valve shaft I'I. Upon -the handle I2 being pivoted to the vertical position the plunger 32 is contacted by one arm of the handle bail and is moved forwardly, against the force exerted by coil spring 33, and pivots the lever I9 to move valve I6 from its passageway closing position (Figure '7) to its nozzle closing position (Figure 8). With the handle in the vertical position, in which it is retained bythe handle controlling means and more specically by the spring pressed roller detent 3| seating within the seat 29, the valve is in the nozzle sealing relationship shown in Figure 8 and the machine is then adapted for off-the-fioor cleaning. The operator need only disconnect the dusting tool hose from the cleaner handle which supports it to perform the necessary work.

To reconvert the cleaner from an oif-the-oor unit to an on-the-floor unit it is only necessary to pivot the handle rearwardly from the vertical position. The plunger 32 is automatically moved rearwardly under the force exerted by spring 33 and valve I6 is again moved to passageway closing relationship by its spring I8. Air is then drawn into the suction-creating means from the nozzle I and the machine is again an on-the-iioor cleaner.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a movable cleaner propelling handle, suction creating means, a oor nozzle connected to said means, an air passageway connected to said means, a single valve selectively connecting and sealing said nozzle and said passageway to and from said suction creating means, and cleaner-propelling handle operated means controlling the position of said valve.

2. In a suction cleaner, a movable cleaner propelling handle, suction creating means, a iloor nozzle connected to said means, an air passageway connected to said means, a single valve selectively connecting said nozzle and said passageway to said suction creating means, means normally retaining said valve in position to connect said nozzle to said suction creating means, and means operable upon the movement of said handle to move said valve to connect said passageway to said suction creating means.

3. In a suction cleaner, a movable cleaner propelling handle, suction creating means, a oor nozzle connected to said means, an air passageway open to said means and to said nozzle, a valve at the junction of said nozzle and passageway to seal selectively said nozzle or said passageway from said means, and cleaner propelling handle operated means to actuate said valve.

4. In a suction cleaner, a movable cleaner propelling handle, suction creating means, a floor nozzle connected to said means, an air passageway open to said means and to said nozzle, a valve at the junction of said nozzle and passage- Way to seal selectively said nozzle or said passageway from said means, means normally retaining said valve in passageway sealing position, and cleaner propelling handle operated means to move said valve to open said passageway to said suction creating means and to seal said nozzle therefrom.

5. In a suction cleaner, a movable cleaner propelling handle, a nozzle, a fan chamber open to said nozzle, a driven fan in said chamber, an air passageway open to said fan chamber, a movable valve selectively connecting said nozzle or said passageway to said chamber, and a plunger connected to and adapted to move said valve and extended into the path of said handle and adapted to receive a valve moving force therefrom.

6. In a suction cleaner, a movable cleaner propelling handle, a nozzle, a fan chamber open to said nozzle, a driven fan in said chamber, an air passageway open to said fan chamber, a movable valve selectively connecting said nozzle or said passageway to said chamber, means connected to said valve and operable by said handle to actuate said valve by movement of said handle to cer- \tain positions, and means to move said valve to connect said nozzle to said chamber upon the movement of said handle from said certain positions.

'7. In a suction cleaner a movable cleaner propelling handle, a nozzle, a fan chamber open to said nozzle, a driven fan in said chamber, an air passageway open to said fan chamber, a movable valve selectively connecting said nozzle or said passageway to said chamber, and a plunger connected to and adapted to move said valve, said plunger being extended to a position to be contacted and moved by said handle to move said valve upon the movement of said handle to a vertical position.

8. In a suction cleaner, a casing including a fan chamber, a nozzle. and a. secondary air passageway; means movably supporting said casing; a cleaner propelling handle pivotally connected 'to said casing; a single valve to selectively open and close said fan chamber to said nozzle and to said passageway; and means operable by said handle in certain movements to actuate said valve.

9. In a suction cleaner, a pivoted cleaner propelling handle, a nozzle, a fan chamber open to said nozzle, an air passageway open to `said Ian chamber, a valve pivoted about an axis substantially parallel to the pivotal axis of said handle to said means, a single valve to seal selectively lo said nozzle or said air passageway from said suction creating means, a dusting tool hose connected to said air passageway, and a cleaner propelling handle supporting said hose, and means controlled by the position ot said handle to operate 15 said valve.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER. 

